


Don't worry

by psychicdreamsandangelwings



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: As always I suck at summaries, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, M/M, Rick worries too much, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-02-26 14:40:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2655710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychicdreamsandangelwings/pseuds/psychicdreamsandangelwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl comes back from a run injured and Rick makes him rest. When he returns, he finds Daryl and sick Judith sleeping snuggled up next to each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't worry

**Author's Note:**

> This ship has officially gotten out of hand and I don't even care.

Rick'd like to believe he's not a worrier, he'd like to believe he's okay whenever someone he cares about leaves the prison, like his chest doesn't tighten and his heartbeat doesn't quicken every second that they're gone. Truth is however, Rick worries more than anyone else at the prison. He can't help it. It's his job to keep his people safe and every time one of them leaves the prison he's unable to do that. Accidents happen, rival groups happen, walker herds happen and there's not a god damned thing he can do about it. His anxiety is high whenever anyone ventures out further than their metal gates encompass. It doesn’t matter that they've been doing this for years and have remained for the most part intact, whenever one of his people travel outside the prison he worries. He can't help it. That's just who he is. The world around them is dangerous and you never know when your next excursion could be your last.

So when night falls and the storm that's been brewing all day hits full force, Rick panics. Daryl's been exhausted over the past few days, trying to take care of Judith while also maintaining the high demands of the prison, and had no business going on this solo run. He hadn't wanted Daryl to leave at all, the storm clouds over head were enough of a sign that any trip would end in disaster. But the prison is running low on supplies and they're in desperate need of food. Daryl had promised him, swore to him, that he would be back by nightfall but he still hasn't returned. Rick knows he shouldn't worry, everything is probably fine. This is Daryl after all. Daryl is unbeatable, unbreakable, irreplaceable. He's probably holed up somewhere, waiting out the storm, completely safe. Despite this logical reasoning, Rick can't rest until Daryl is safely within the prison’s walls.

Rick's been pacing up and down the common room area for the better part of an hour and it only gets worse as the night darkens and the storm rages on with no sign of Daryl. Judith's sleeping comfortably in his arms as he tries to calm himself, and her, down. Judith's been sick these past couple of days and has hardly gotten any rest. It started off as a nasty cough which in turn escalated into a low-grade fever. She's cranky and irritable and hasn't left Rick or Daryl’s side for longer than a few minutes. They had some children’s Tylenol stored and have been giving it to her in small doses every so often. The medicine seems to have been working but she still has a slight fever and refuses to leave his or Daryl's side.

“Is Daryl back,” the four year old asks, waking up from her restless slumber. 

“Hey baby,” Rick says softly. He sits down at the nearest bench and rests her on top of the connected table so he can get a good look at her. Her face is warm and her eyes are glassy, it's easy to tell she still has a fever and Rick hates that he can't do more for his daughter. “You feeling better?”

She wines low in her throat and rubs at her eyes before burying her face in his neck, her reaction the only answer Rick needs. Rick takes her into his arms once more and rubs up and down her back gently before he presses a kiss against the top of her head. “Wan’ Daryl.”

“I know, he’ll be back soon, don’t worry.” Lightning flashes in the nearby window and thunder shakes the room around them, making Judith whimper slightly. She's never really liked storms. Rick continues to rub her back in soothing circles as he begins to sing softly, trying to lure her back to sleep to no avail. He's so focused on Judith and making sure she's comfortable he doesn't even hear the footsteps enter the room. 

“Hey,” Daryl says softly, stepping up behind Rick. He rests a hand on Rick's shoulder, squeezing gently, and runs his hand through Judith's hair.

"Your back," she says, words slurring slightly. She's half asleep and finds it hard to focus on him. It won't take much for her to fall asleep.

"Yeah," Daryl says, smiling softly.

“God,” Rick says. He stands up, carefully maneuvering Judith so she wouldn't get in the way, and pulls Daryl into a hug. “You had me worried sick.”

Rick pulls back and looks the archer up and down. His clothes are dry, meaning he must have already changed into dry ones, and he seems to be putting all his weight on his left leg. Rick looks up only to notice Daryl rubbing his right shoulder like it's causing him pain. There's a series of gashes across his swollen cheek and a small cut beside his eye. “What happened?”

“‘S’alright,” Daryl claims, wrapping an arm around Rick's waist to reassure him. “Just tripped and twisted my ankle, banged up my face and shoulder when I fell, but I’ll be fine.”

“You sure? Did you get checked over by Hershel?” Rick does another once over to make sure Daryl's not lying about the extent of his injuries, it definitely wouldn't have been the first time. It's nearly impossible to assess the damage when Daryl's completely clothed but it doesn't take a genius to figure out just how exhausted he is and how much his ankle is hurting him.

“No and I ain't gonna. ‘M good, Rick, don’ worry. ‘M scheduled for watch right now, I jus’ wanted ta let you know I was back. Don’ like it when you worry,” Daryl says, moving closer to Rick's warmth. Daryl closes his eyes and rests his head tiredly against Rick’s shoulder. It's clear to see just how exhausted he is with the way he leans against Rick. More than anything else he needs rest but because it's Daryl he'll refuse to do anything for himself if he thinks there's work that needs to be done around the prison.

“Oh no ya don’t,” Rick says. “You’re exhausted and hurt, I’ll take on your watch for you.”

“I don’ need ta be babied, Rick,” Daryl retaliates, which would have been more convincing if he wasn't so tired. Daryl always gets defensive whenever someone suggested he's incapable of doing something, no matter the reason.

“It’s not babying, Daryl, it’s takin’ care of you. You’re hurt, you’re exhausted, and you need a break. Besides,” Rick says, carefully moving Judith into Daryl’s arms, “Judith’s been asking for you.” He knows it's a low blow, using Judith to bench Daryl, but it's not a lie. Judith _has_ been asking for Daryl and right now he'll do just about anything if it meant Daryl was going to go lay down.

Daryl’s demeanor changes once he has Judith in his arms. He instantly becomes calmer and relaxes his stance. “Daryl,” she says happily, albeit sleepily. “Missed you.”

“Missed you more,” Daryl says with a smile. “You feeling better?”

"A little,” Judith replies, smacking her lips sleepily as she presses her face against his shoulder.

“She’s already had her last dose of medicine and her fever is continuing to drop,” Rick adds. “But she’s still a little warm and cranky. She's been asking about you since you left.”

Daryl nods and adjusts his grip on Judith. “Were ya good for your Daddy while I was gone?” he asks, rubbing a hand up and down her back.

Judith nods before burying her face in Daryl’s neck. It seems that's the only conversation she's willing to make at the moment. Considering she never stops talking, that's a fairly sure sign she's not feeling well.

Rick smiles, his heart warming at the sight of them. “Go get some sleep,” Rick says, stepping forward quickly to press a kiss against Daryl’s lips. It's simple, quick, and sweet. “I’ll be back soon enough.”

Daryl grumbles something about being benched before he retreats back to the cells, Judith carefully cradled in his arms and half asleep once more. Rick watches as he limps heavily. He's got a feeling that ankle is bothering him more than Daryl was willing to admit and there's no doubt in his mind he's making Daryl get checked over by Hershel in the morning, no matter how much his stubborn hunter complains.

Once Rick sees Daryl and Judith disappear into his and Daryl’s cell, Rick makes his way outside and into the watch tower where Glenn and Maggie are on watch.

“I thought Daryl was scheduled to take watch?” Glenn asks, standing up from his position on the floor.

“I’m making him get some sleep, that last trip took a lot out of him," Rick says.

“I get it. Tyreese should be here in a few hours to relieve you,” Maggie says, taking Glenn’s hand in hers as they make their way towards the exit.

Rick relaxes back in the single chair and let's his mind wander as much as he can while he's on watch. By now the storm has quieted to a soft drizzle and it's no longer thundering and lightning outside. He really hopes Daryl and Judith are sleeping by now, they both need the rest. It’s been a tough couple of days; Judith’s sickness has put the entire prison on red alert. No one wants to watch a child get sick, especially since they can’t just rush her to a hospital. It was a miracle that no one, especially him and Daryl, else had caught whatever it is Judith has. Daryl's been overworking himself, trying to take care of Judith at the same time he tries to do everything he normally does for the prison, and Rick's half surprised he hasn't collapsed fro exhaustion yet. He's stretched himself so thin, Rick's almost glad he'd injured his ankle because it means he now has a reason to force Daryl to take it easy for a few days.

The hours seem to fly by as Rick takes watch. He's not sure what time it is or how long he's been on watch by the time Tyreese relieves him of his duty, but he does know it's well past sundown and he's exhausted. He thanks Tyreese for taking over before he makes his way back into the prison.

Once he reaches his cell he pulls back his and Daryl's make-shift door. Daryl's curled up in the middle of the bed, Judith snuggled up tight against his side. Both of them look so peaceful sound asleep, Rick can’t help but stop and admire them for a few seconds. After a few seconds of watching them Rick kicks off his boots and carefully crawls into bed with the two of them. He studies Judith’s face, not wanting his cool hands to wake her up, and is pleased to see her cheeks don’t look as hot as they had a few hours ago.

Daryl must feel him slip into bed beside him because the second he pulls the covers over himself the man jolts awake. “Shh,” Rick soothes, resting a cool hand on Daryl’s hip. “Jus’ me.”

“Rick?” Daryl says groggily, voice dripping with sleep as he looks over his shoulder, trying to find the face behind the noise.

"Yeah,” Rick whispers, gently stroking his hand up and down Daryl’s side. “Go back to sleep, you’re okay.”

Daryl's so tired he doesn’t respond with anything more than a whispered I love you, falling back asleep almost instantly. Rick smiles and presses a kiss to the back of his neck, pleased to see Daryl sleeping peacefully for the first time in days. Neither one of them has really gotten a lot of sleep, both too worried about taking care of Judith, and it feels so good to finally lay back and relax.

As soon as Rick settles down completely, his exhaustion hits him like a ton of bricks and he finds it hard to even move. Rick doesn't realize just how tired he is until now, it's an effort even to keep his eyes open. Rick peeks over at Judith one last time, pleased to see she's still curled up peacefully against Daryl’s chest, before he feels he can finally sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> It is literally 6 am and I'm skyping my friend while writing this, what am I doing with my life.
> 
> Anyways, I'm actually working on a multi-chapter Rickyl fic that should be posted in a couple of weeks.
> 
> As always, criticism is welcome and I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
